|
|
|
|
Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
 The
Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José
Miguel Insulza, said today at the opening of the Fourteenth Meeting of
the OAS Expert Group on Reduction of Demand for Drugs that "only by
working together on a common strategy" can the countries of the
hemisphere effectively combat the abuse of these substances.
The Secretary General, in his opening remarks, emphasized that
illicit consumption of drugs lies at the root of "our common challenges
in the fight against drug trafficking." Dependence on drugs, he said,
"is a chronic, relapsing illness" that "requires medical treatment,” and
linked the social profile of drug addiction to the field of public
health.
The leader of the hemispheric organization recalled that in
April this year, the leaders of the governments of the region charged
the OAS, at the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena (Colombia),
with compiling "a report analyzing the results of current drug policies
and exploring new approaches to make them more effective." It is
important to recall, said the Secretary General, that "we are not asked
to make decisions or one-of-a-kind proposals" but instead "to present a
spectrum of options to strengthen policy" that should always have "a
foundation based on the evidence."
It has been proven, stressed Secretary General Insulza, “that
drug abuse, beyond whether its trade is legal or illegal, is extremely
harmful to health,” and that behind its trafficking are “highly
dangerous criminal gangs harmful to the democratic development of our
societies.” Finally, he added, it has been proven "that only by working
together on a common strategy can we effectively combat this scourge."
The meeting, which brings together specialists in combating and
treating drug abuse, began today and will run until Friday, October 5,
at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC. It will focus on the topics of:
driving under the influence of drugs, prevention of prescription drug
abuse; hemispheric guidelines of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control
Commission (CICAD) of the OAS, and the information framework for the
policy planning and demand reduction programs of CICAD.
The Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy of
the United States, Gil Kerlikowske, applauded the efforts of the expert
group meeting and said it would "present an opportunity to not only
review progress but also chart the road ahead on drug policy."
Kerlikowske said he was encouraged by the work on “demand reduction"
made by the OAS Member States: "There’s reason to be optimistic that
drug policy reforms that are underway in many places are going to reduce
both drug use and its consequences.”
For his part, the Executive Secretary of CICAD, Ambassador Paul
Simons, stressed that "The future is very promising for this group,
since more and more countries are focusing on the demand and health-side
challenges.”
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.
© Copyright 2012 by thebahamasweekly.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
